OPEN LETTER TO ANIMAL LOVERS WHO WANT TO DO SOMETHING VERY EASY

Dear Friends of Hearts United for Animals,

Pennsylvania is one of the states in this country that has the most puppymills. The majority of the puppymills in Pennsylvania are concentrated
in Lancaster Country. The huge majority of these "kennels" are owned by people who are Amish or Mennonite. I was at one Amish kennel that had over
70 dogs. The dogs are outside in rabbit hutch cages without heat or air-conditioning. Yesterday it was over 90 degrees in this area and those
dogs do not even have shade. They cannot escape the burning rays of the sun.

The law requires protection from the heat but both the state and federal officials have failed to enforce the law. When I was there they did not
have water bottles, only bowls that could easily be knocked over so they could be without water. At a zoning hearing the owner testified that his ten and
eleven year old children would be the ones who take care of the dogs. I wonder how many times in a day those children check the water bowls.

The local and state officials have said that they are not going to enforce the laws in this county. One official even told me that the dogs don't have money and they don't vote so they weren't going to take this issue seriously. He also said this was a "woman's issue." The only thing that they understand is money so we have to show them the money. The tourist money that is. When money walks, money talks. Boycott Lancaster County. The tourist industry was down significantly last year and is down even more significantly the first quarter of this year. And they ain't seen nothing yet.

Please tell the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitor's Bureau that you will not visit Lancaster County until the suffering is ended. Tell them that you won't shop in their outlet malls, you won't go to the Sight and Sound Theater, you won't go the American Music Theater, you won't go to the DutchWonderland, you won't go to the Strasburg Railroad Museum, and you certainly would never ever go on an Amish Buggy ride. Their email address is info@padutchcountry.com . I wonder how many emails they can get in a week!?

Thank you so much for your support.

Lee Wheeler
Hearts United for Animals
http://www.hua.org
The Sirius Shoppe
http://www.ihelppets.com
The only store where all the profits go to shut down puppymills.

..Dear Friends of Hearts United for Animals,

Humans and canines are celebrating! On August 21, 2001 Charles Carr pled
guilty to charges of cruelty to animals. He was put on probation and
required to pay a fine but most importantly 66 dogs who were removed from his
"kennels" are safe and happy in great homes. If he is convicted of any other
violation during the time of his probation, he will go to prison.

On September 15, 2000 Hearts United for Animals, the Humane League of
Lancaster County, the Coalition Against Pennsylvania Puppymils and ORCA
worked along side the Mt Joy Township Police Department to remove 61 dogs
from two kennels operated by Charles Carr and Virginia Swayne. The conditions
at both facilities were horrible. In the dilapidated old barn there was a
moot full of feces and water, the windows were broken out and the siding
falling off. The dogs were in terrible condition. There were dogs who
were blind from treatable eye conditions that were not treated, dogs who were
deaf from treatable ear infections that were not treated, and lame from
walking on wires in cages. One of the dogs was in renal failure from an
infection that had not been treated. She died last month.

The second facility was an old stone barn - there was no lighting, no
ventilation, no heat - even the windows had been boarded up. When the garage
door was closed the dogs were in total darkness. I was there when the door
was opened and the smell was so bad that it almost knocked me over. The dogs
were crammed into small cages, many to a cage. One cage had 6 cocker
spaniels including one that was so dog aggressive that she tried to kill
every dog that walked by her. Imagine being in a small cage in total
darkness with someone who wanted to kill you.

This guilty plea sent a strong message to the millers in Lancaster County.
The days of abusing animals with impunity are past. They will answer for
their crimes. We expect many more convictions to come.

Today was a day of justice for the dogs. There have been far too few of
these days in the past - that's about to change.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this case, wrote letters thanking the
police officer who handled this case and cared about the dogs.

Best wishes,
Lee Wheeler
Hearts United for Animals
http://www.hua.org/
http://www.ihelppets.com/